Lifetime orders Russian-American 'Brighton Beach' while MTV plots 'Jersey Shore' spinoffs

Exclu: Three words: Russian Jersey Shore.

Lifetime has ordered 12 episodes of a new series introducing cable viewers to a whole new East Coast boardwalk scene.

Next year, the network will unveil "Brighton Beach," about a group of Russian-Americans living on Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Unlike MTV’s youthful hit, however, "Brighton" will have a multigenerational cast that better reflects Lifetime’s audience. The show will chronicle several colorful families, with the show's action centered on a popular local nightclub.

When "Brighton Beach" was first pitched to networks last March, producer Elina Miller told one reporter: "We are big fans of 'Jersey Shore,' but the Russian community has its own set of characters which we think could be even more interesting. There will be plenty of vodka, techno music and guys wearing Adidas pants, leather jackets and gold chains, and driving souped-up cars. There will also be a lot of hot, decked-out Russian girls."

Although the family-based aspect makes "Brighton" a bit different than "Shore," the project is one of a few titles in various stages of development that are being compared to the MTV series, which has grown into a ratings phenomenon this summer.

Comedy Central is working on "Party Down South," which has been dubbed the "Southern Jersey Shore" though, like "Brighton," it has its own twist because it is being edited as a comedy rather than a straightforward reality show. A Korean-centered "Shore"-like project also has been shopped around town.

One network not planning more beachfront party shows is MTV, where executives quietly have vowed not to try and replicate "Shore" with another ethnic or cultural group.

MTV is, however, seriously contemplating "Shore" spinoffs.

Although sources said the rumored Snooki dating show isn’t happening, another leaked concept — a docusoap about Pauly D’s work as a DJ — is gaining traction. The network is shooting footage of Pauly and his friends at clubs for the project.

Other spinoff concepts for "Jersey" that MTV is considering are also along these lines — docuseries ideas stemming from the casts’ real lives and relationships that you don’t typically see on "Shore" rather than on fabricated formats (like a dating show, or a competition series) that will seem overtly produced or performance based.

Along with Pauly, Snooki is considered the most likely cast member to get her own docu-series, though one can never count out The Situation.

"Brighton" is executive produced by Banks Tarver and Ken Druckerman ("Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane," "This American Life"). Lifetime plans to launch the show next year; the network also has a new unscripted show, "The Fairy Jobmother," debuting Oct. 28.